BALM (balm) adj./n. something that heals or comforts; soothing; an oil or ointment Link: PALM There s nothing like a BALMY breeze whispering through PALM trees. The nurse gave me a white BALM to put on my insect bites to soothe the pain. (n.) It was a BALMY day, perfect for a game of golf or a trip to the beach. (adj.) After sweating through his final exams, the sound of the bell at the end of class was a BALM to Pete s nerves. (n.) 59
BEGET (bee GET) v. to give birth to; to create Link: FORGET The old lady who lived in the shoe BEGAT so many children she would FORGET who was who. Prior to the development of large farm machinery, farmers used to BEGET large families to help them run their farms. Chronic lying becomes a habit which starts out with one small lie, which BEGETS a second lie, which BEGETS a third lie, and so on. The Wright brothers didn t invent the airplane, but they were the BEGETTERS of the first sustained flight in the United States. 60
BELEAGUER (be LEE gur) v. to besiege; beset, surround, harass Link: BIG LEAGUER The little leaguers BELEAGUERED the BIG LEAGUERS. The home fans BELEAGUERED the visiting team as they entered the stadium. The ship was BELEAGUERED by the constant attack of enemy fighter planes. In the midst of important negotiations, the union official asked his staff not to BELEAGUER him with insignificant details. 61
BEREAVE (bih REEV) v. to take away, often as a result of death; to deprive and make desolate Link: LEAVE When Jimmy s fish died and had to LEAVE it BEREAVED him of his love for goldfish. The fast moving wildfire BEREAVED five families of their homes. The assassination of John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald BEREAVED a nation of their beloved president. To BEREAVE a child of an education is a travesty. 62
BESET (bee SET) v. to harass; to surround Link: BEES SAT The angry BEES SAT on his face and BESET the beekeeper. We were to have gone to the beach for a sunny vacation, but were BESET with a week of rain and cold weather. We thought we had the design ironed out, but when three of our aircraft crashed, we knew we were BESET with design problems we had yet to understand. The losing team was BESET with disappointment. 63
BIZARRE (bih ZAR) adj. extremely unconventional or far-fetched Link: BAZAAR You see some BIZARRE things for sale at a BAZAAR. Justin s BIZARRE personality estranged him from rest of the group. As the medication began to take effect, Randolph s eyes took on a faraway look, and he muttered some BIZARRE nonsense about wanting to ride the pony one more time. Wasn t he BIZARRE? Lorna said of the strange man who appeared from nowhere and offered her an apple. 64
BLATHER (BLA thur) v. to talk nonsensically Link: LATHER Karen and Allison BLATHERED until their mouths LATHERED. Everything the media reported about the supposed plane disaster never happened. It was a bunch of BLATHER by uninformed journalists. Children have great imaginations, and often BLATHER about ghosts that supposedly enter their rooms and either scare them or play with them. All Mary likes to do is BLATHER with her friends on the phone. 65
BLEAK (bleek) adj. depressing, discouraging, harsh, cold, barren, raw Link: LEAK Sometimes a simple LEAK can lead to BLEAK consequences. The game looked BLEAK with our team being down 42 to 7 in the fourth quarter. The vet said we should keep our hopes up, but the chance of our dog, Spot, surviving the car accident appeared BLEAK. The BLEAKNESS of the Aleutian Islands, where the winds howl constantly, makes one shiver just to see a picture of it. 66
BLUDGEON (BLUD jun) v./n. to hit or attack with heavy impact; a short, heavy thick club that has one end larger than the other Link: DUNGEON Why do you suppose they have all these BLUDGEONS in this DUNGEON? There was nothing temperate about the lawyer s summary to the jury; he BLUDGEONED them with all the gruesome details of the murder. (v.) The detective suspected the murder weapon was some type of BLUDGEON. (n.) The police arrested the lumberjack on suspicion of BLUDGEONING a co-worker with an axe handle. (v.) 67
BUCOLIC (byoo KAHL ik) adj. rural or rustic in nature, country-like Link: BULLS FROLIC BULLS FROLIC when a farm is BUCOLIC. The judges gave first prize to the painting of a BUCOLIC landscape in greens and blues. There is nothing BUCOLIC about big city life, honking horns and bustling streets are neither peaceful or rustic. Mr. Pride s farm with its peaceful green pastures and a babbling brook, was the perfect BUCOLIC setting for a picnic. 68
Name Date VOCABULARY CARTOONS: Review #5.1 Match the word with its definition. 1. balm 2. beget 3. beleaguer 4. bereave 5. beset 6. bizarre 7. blather 8. bleak 9. bludgeon 10. bucolic a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. to surround to harass a short, heavy thick club soothing to talk nonsensically depressing, discouraging, harsh rural or rustic in nature extremely unconventional to deprive and make desolate to give birth to Fill in the blanks with the appropriate word. 1. All Mary likes to do is with her friends on the phone. 2. Wasn t he? Lorna said of the strange man who appeared from nowhere and offered her an apple. 3. The fast moving wildfire five families of their homes. 4. It was a day, perfect for a game of golf or a trip to the beach. 5. The detective suspected the murder weapon was some type of. 6. Mr. Pride s farm with its peaceful green pastures and a babbling brook, was the perfect setting for a picnic. 7. The game looked with our team being down 42 to 7 in the fourth quarter. 8. During his last year in office, Richard Nixon was a president, struggling to fight off the Watergate scandal. 9. Prior to the development of large farm machinery, farmers used to large families to help them run their farms. 10. The losing team was with disappointment.
Name Date VOCABULARY CARTOONS: Review #5.2 Multiple Choice: Circle the appropriate word for the provided definition. 1. shrewd, clever, keen a.) bucolic b.) amenable c.) bleak d.) astute 2. soothing; something that heals a.) bucolic b.) balm c.) austere d.) blather 3. to talk nonsensically a.) beleaguer b.) beget c.) assuage d.) blather 4. to give birth to; to create a.) bludgeon b.) beget c.) beset d.) assuage 5. to soothe; to make less severe a.) beget b.) asunder c.) bereave d.) assuage 6. depressing, discouraging, harsh a.) bizarre b.) beget c.) bleak d.) austere 7. to surround or harass a.) beset b.) beget c.) bleak d.) bludgeon 8. a short heavy club; to hit or attack a.) beleaguer b.) beget c.) bleak d.) bludgeon 9. to wither away a.) beset b.) atrophy c.) bleak d.) asunder 10. to seek, attain, or achieve a goal a.) aspire b.) beget c.) bereave d.) badger 11. extremely unconventional or far fetched a.) bucolic b.) bleak c.) bizarre d.) austere 12. to surround or harass a.) beget b.) beleaguer c.) bereave d.) bludgeon 13. rural or rustic in nature a.) bucolic b.) bleak c.) bizarre d.) austere 14. suffering the death of a loved one a.) beleaguer b.) assuage c.) bereave d.) beget 15. severely simple and plain; without excess a.) bizarre b.) beset c.) bleak d.) austere
VOCABULARY CARTOONS SAT Word Power Review Answers Review #5.1 Review #5.2 Matching: 1. d 2. j 3. (a or b) 4. i 5. (a or b) 6. h 7. e 8. f 9. c 10. g Fill in the Blank: 1. blather 2. bizarre 3. bereaved 4. balmy 5. bludgeon 6. bucolic 7. bleak 8. beleaguered 9. beget 10. beset Multiple Choice: 1. d.) astute 2. b.) balm 3. d.) blather 4. b.) beget 5. d.) assuage 6. c.) bleak 7. a.) beset 8. d.) bludgeon 9. b.) atrophy 10. a.) aspire 11. c.) bizarre 12. b.) beleaguer 13. a.) bucolic 14. c.) bereave 15. d.) austere